Olympics Watch: What Was Your Favorite Moment From London 2012, Day 10?

Another night of Olympic coverage, another event essentially spoiled by the tone-deaf folks at NBC. Indeed, Bob Costas’ primetime broadcast intro paid no mind to old-fashioned types like myself who studiously avoid live streams, social media, and news coverage of the London-set games, hoping instead to capture the full range of suspense and excitement that comes from witnessing a world-class sporting event.

“All-around Gold Medalist Gabby Douglas is back in action on what is usually her best event — the uneven bars,” said Costas, all but giving us a wink-wink and a frowny emoticon to indicate that America’s newest sweetheart was about to do something atypical — and probably not in a good way. And yet while Douglas did indeed finish last among the eight women competing on this particular apparatus, that didn’t stop the event from producing my favorite moment of the primetime telecast.

Indeed, Elizabeth Tweddle of Great Britain (pictured), who preceded Douglas on the bars, put on a demonstration that was so loaded with excitement and runaway (perhaps even spastic?) energy, I repeatedly feared she’d go flying off the bars and land somewhere in the vicinity of the balance beam. But instead, the 27-year-old Tweddle maintained her hold on the bar after every wild release, looking like a sure-fire medalist — as long as Douglas didn’t score higher in the event’s final performance. When Douglas stalled doing a pirouette on the high bars, Tweddle’s medal dreams became a Bronze reality.

The other highlight of Monday night coverage had to be the Track Cycling Men’s Sprint Finals won by Britain’s Jason Kenny. I’d never before watched this peculiar sport, so suffice to say I was in absolute stitches on Lap 1, when Kenny and his rival (Gregory Bauge of France) needed their assistants to give them a push start, and then completed it in tortoise-esque fashion. It’s all necessary strategy to spend Lap 1 on psychological/strategic hoo-hah, said the commentators. I’ll take their word for it. Bonus moment was the crazy-enthusiastic British kid in the audience, roaring approval for his nation’s finest (screengrabbed here for your pleasure).